Combined license plate and tail light



0.. 8. GROPPERy. comsmzp LICENSE PLATE AND TAILFLI'GHT.

. APPLICATION FYILED APR. 11, 1922. 1,437,413.

Patented m. 5,1922.

. -2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

ammm A 01250 Jar-upper 0. s. GROPPER. COMBINED LICENSE PLATE AND TAIL LIGHT.

APPLICATION FILED APR. IL I922.

. 1,437,413, Patented Dec. 5, 1922.

2 SHEET$SHEEI' 2.

anoemtoz Potenteei flee; E

O'E'EO GRQEPEE, 01 LUNG ISLAND GITY, "NW YQEED oonznrnnn Lionnsfn nneen enn min intone To 62:33 whom it may concenn: 7

Be it known the-t I, Urro S. Gnonenn, citizen of the Uniteo Etetes; and; resioent of cei extension 4- within. which is fineci e Long island City, New York in the county of Queens enci State of New forh have in vented certe'innew and useful Improvements in @ombineci License Plates enoi Teii Lights of which the following is e specification The present invention relates to iicensepistes for eutomobiiesyhaving-reference pen ticnieriy to on improvoi combination iicensepiate and taii light.

The invention has for an object the provision of e device of this cherecter which is equeiiy adaptable for cieyiight enoi night use.

Further objects of the invention being to provide a housing structure having meens for coincidenteiiy iiinmineting e tail iight ions and a removable and interchengeehie perforated iicense piote adopted to he heid in fixed. reietion without liability of rettiing but which may be remiiiy remove& by on enthorizeoi person. i r

Another object 01!: the invention being the provision of means for preventing unenthorized. persons from removing the plate.

In the attainment of these enci other oi jects, i provide e-housing having an open front, ands perforeteri iicense piste one. means for detechebly fastening said licensepiete,eaid housing having 2 communicating compartment open in front and provideri with e fixed ions, means for lighting the in terior of the housing whereby the license plate and taillight ions may be coincidenteiiy illuminated, means for locking the license-piste, and other novei features eii es hereinafter fniiy (iescribeoi and specifi ceiiy set forth in the appended cieims,

In the accompanying &rowings forming part of this specification, Figure l is a front elevation illustrating an embociiment of my 4 iin-fprovement;

Fig. 2 is amend view thereof showing the eiements of the invention in iocked relation; Fig. 8 is" a fragmentary sectional View taken on the line 3-3of Fig. 2;

, Fig. 4 is on end view showing the device -nniocheo; for removal of the license-plate;

F1, 5 is a cross sectional; view taken on the hne 5-5 of Fig. 1; anti Fig, 63 is a cross section when on the line 6- 6 of Fig. 1.

in the drawings, 1 indicates a,- hollow housing comprising a. rectilinear compertment2 enria domed communicating compertment 3 hevlng an open front comprising a cylindri- 001- ored lens 5. Lamps '6, preferably electric lamps, ere mounted on the bottom wail of the housing 1., enci extend into the compartment 2, whereby the compartments 2 and 3 are coincidentaiiy iiinmineteo; to show of iight' rays passing through the ions 5 and the removable license piste which comprises a metal sheet 7, perforetmi with suitable indicie 8, and e piste 9 of opeiescent giess the metai sheet '7 having flanges 7 which are bent over the edges of the piate 9 wherebythe gloss is securely heid on the inner sur face of the sheet 7.

The front well of the housing 1 is pro videci with e rectilinear opening 10 which is snrronncieei on three skies by moons of flanges ii, 12; anci the for'weroi eoige of one enci wall 13 of the housing lis speceoi from of inserting the iicense piete, flanges l1 be ingprovideci for hohiing' see license-plate against in'werei ieterei movement, vent rattling of the license-plate suitabie springs 14- are mounted, between the flanges 11 and 11 as shown in Fi l ofthe drew i-ng's. The housin l is inrther provider);

suitehie brackets, whereby the device may be fixeo to on eutomohiie,

As a means for opening end .ciosing the inlet to the housing, I provide a sliding door 1'7 said door being mounted on studs 18 which extend outwerdiy from the en i wail i3 and pass through peraiiei slots 19 of the door 1?,seid slots extending et en angle to the piano of the-face of the honsi.ng, wherethe face of the honsing sufiicientiy to admit To prowith sockets an ltceciepteoi for engaging by the door'has a normal tendency to close by gravity when it is positioned as shownin Fig. 4- of the drawings. 7

Fixed to a rotatable stud 20 which is mounteei on the end weii 13 is acrank-arm 21 having a pin 22 extending inwardly through it segmental slot %3 of the well 13.

The door 17 is provided with o segmental recess 17 on its rearward edge adapted to allow for swinging movement of the pin 22 in the are of e circle describeo by the slot 23 The crenk erm 21. is normally maintained in position shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings by means at is spring 24, hav- 1113 one emi fixed to the end well of th housing and the other end in bearing relation with the crank arm 21, whereby when the door 1?" is closed said crank arm automatically swings downwardly. v

The device is further provisioned with an interiorly fixed lock 25, of any adaptable variety, having a bolt 26 which engages over the pin.22 when the crank arm 21 is thrown downwardly, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, a key-hole 27 being extended through the wall 13, whereby a key may be inserted into the lock'for sliding the bolt 26 out of engagement with the pin 22 when it is desired to open the door 17..

The metal sheet 7 of the license plate is painted a color very much darker than and'sharply contrasting with the color of the glass plate 9 whereby the indicia is distinctly visible in daylight, and therelatively light color of the plate 9' admits of light rays being projected through the I indicia at night.

It is maniiest that by employing my improved device the license-plate while-readily removable and interchangeable, is thordughly protected against removal without the aid of a proper key, thus entirely obviating liability ofhaving it unlawfully removed.

While I have illustrated and described a fair example of myinvention, I do not wish to be understood as confining myself to the specific details shown, as under the spirit of my invention I believe that I am entitled to-employ such variations-of detail as may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a means for closing a casing having an end inlet and a segmental slot, a sliding door having an edge recess, and a spring-actuated crank arm having a pin which extends through said slot of the cas ing, and. an interiorly located lock having a bolt for engaging over said pin to pre vent turning of-the crank arm.

2. in a means for closing a casing having an end inlet and a segmental slot, a sliding door having an edge recess. and

means for mounting said door whereby it door,and a spring-actuated crank arm having a pin which extends through said slot of the casing, and an interiorly located lock having a bolt for engaging over said pin to revent turning voitthe crank arm.

. igned at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 15th day of April, A.- D. 1922.

OTTO S. GROPPER. 

